Why Mughal Emperor Jahangir Hated Ahmedabad, Calling it Gardad and Jahannumabad

Mughal Emperor Jahangir openly expressed his hatred and anger towards the city of Ahmedabad. In his autobiography 'Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri' (Jahangirnama), he used negative terms such as Gardad, Jahannumabad, Shamumistan, Bimari-stan, and Zukumdar for Ahmedabad. The Emperor was deeply dissatisfied with the city's climate, the quality of water, and the surrounding environment.

According to a BBC Hindi report, Jahangir questioned what beauty the founder of the city might have seen here to establish it, and how other emperors spent precious years of their lives here, which was beyond his imagination. He noted that hot winds blow here and there is a severe shortage of water. Jahangir called Ahmedabad 'Gardad', meaning a city full of dust, because the air was filled with dust and the water was not potable.

Speaking about the city's geographical condition, the Emperor wrote that the river flowing near the city would dry up during the rest of the time except for the monsoon. The water in the wells was mostly salty, while the water in the ponds had been turned into something like buttermilk by washermen washing clothes. The houses of wealthy people had tanks where they collected rainwater to use throughout the year, but according to Jahangir, such water, which was not exposed to outside air, was harmful to health. The land outside the city was covered with thorns (thor) instead of greenery, and he was aware of the effect of the winds blowing over these thorns.

During Jahangir's time, 8 Subedars were appointed in Ahmedabad. Emperor Jahangir visited Gujarat during the tenure of Subedar Muqarrab Khan. He was to come to Ahmedabad via Khambhat from Malwa. Around 30 December 1617, in Hijri year 1027, the Emperor's convoy departed for Ahmedabad after a seaside excursion in Khambhat.

After a journey of five days, his convoy reached Ahmedabad. Since the auspicious time for entering the city was the next day, he camped near Kankaria Lake. Jahangir wrote that the garden inside Kankaria Lake had become desolate and the buildings had collapsed, due to which it was repaired by Safi Khan. The Emperor liked the construction of Kankaria very much, but near the Nagina Wadi bridge on the bank of the lake, there was a garden belonging to the famous Bakshi Nizamuddin Ahmad Khan, author of 'Tabaqat-e-Akbari', whose trees had been cut down.

When he entered Ahmedabad the next day, huge crowds gathered on the way to see him. Jahangir noted that throughout the road from Kankaria to Bhadra, there was nothing but dust. The main road was wide and vast, but the appearance of the shops was not in keeping with the grandeur of the road. The houses were made of wood and their pillars facing the road were thin and weak.

After reaching Ahmedabad, Jahangir celebrated the 27th birthday of his son Shah Jahan. However, due to not liking the city, he thought of going to Agra via Malwa and left Ahmedabad on 10 February 1618. But when the convoy reached the border of Malwa, he felt restless and decided to return to Ahmedabad. From the Malwa border via Zhalod, he entered the city again on 17 April 1618.

During this second visit, his stay was long, but during that time, a disease spread in the city. Jahangir wrote that there would have been hardly any person in Ahmedabad who had not suffered from this disease, although the relief was that the number of people who died from it was not very high. Jahangir himself was suffering from fever, and at that time, the Europeans living in Ahmedabad also fell prey to this disease. Troubled by the misery and weakness caused by this illness, Jahangir expressed his anger and resentment towards Ahmedabad and gave it nicknames like Gardad, Jahannumabad, and Shamumistan.

Today, Ahmedabad holds an honored position as a UNESCO World Heritage City with its rich heritage and magnificent architecture.